Who’s up to what, at the circuit and beyond. We’ve got all the whispers as we head into race weekend.

Max Verstappen could clinch the drivers’ championship in Qatar and, in fact, short of disaster, is highly likely to do so. It’s just a question of which day. Going into the weekend with 400 points, 177 clear of his nearest rival, Sergio Perez, Verstappen only needs to win the Sprint Race on Saturday to take the crown. And, if he doesn’t do that, well, there’s always the big race on Sunday in which he can secure his place at the top of the podium.

Daniel Ricciardo’s participation at Qatar is in doubt with the Aussie favourite still recovering from the broken hand he sustained in practice at the Dutch Grand Prix. Ricciardo, who replaced Nyck de Vries at Scuderia Alpha Tauri mid-way through the season, sustained a broken metacarpal when he hit a wall to avoid a possible collision with Oscar Piastri. Having undergone surgery at the end of August, Ricciardo was expected to be back at the wheel in time for the Qatar race but that now looks unlikely, and it seems his stand-in, Liam Lawson, will continue to drive in his place. Get well soon Daniel.

Meanwhile Nyck de Vries, having been sacked by Scuderia Alpha Tauri, is rumoured to be making a return to motorsport next season with the German-based Toyota WEC Team, for which he was a reserve driver in 2022.

Four-time world champ Sebastian Vettel, who retired last year, rejoined his former colleagues at the Suzuka Circuit ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix and the whole grid turned out to support him as he unveiled a set of bee hotels aiming to raise awareness on the importance of biodiversity. The kerb at the track’s turn two, where the structures are sited, was painted yellow and black for the occasion and the passionate environmentalist told reporters: “Hopefully this is just the beginning of an initiative and projects around the world… standing up for biodiversity, which is not just insects, it’s all types of animals.”

And, in more Vettel news, after watching the pre-Tokyo practice session, the former Red Bull and Ferrari driver, told Timo Glock for Sky Germany: “I knew it would be hard to be here, but here it is extremely hard. It is… I mean it was my favourite track. I said last year my comeback would be here. Well, now I‘m standing here.” The 36-year-old went on to hint that he’d be up for a substitute drive at Suzuka in the future, should the opportunity arise.

Look out for Lewis Hamilton’s helmet on the track at Lusail. At the Japanese Grand Prix, the star showed off his collaboration with Japanese illustrator Hajime Sorayama to debut a gorgeous, futuristic head cover that would not look out of place in a futuristic movie or a Daft Punk video. We don’t know if it was a one-off showing, just for Japan, but we hope he’ll give us a look at it here in Qatar too.

Will there be a ‘track invasion’ in Qatar – where ticket holders are allowed access to the track after the races to see the podium? At the time of going to press, we still don’t know. But rest assured, if we hear anything, we’ll definitely pass it on.